Collection 2095 - Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Papers, 1940-1984

Creator: Billings, Harry L., 1913-1990

Provenance Note: Harry L. and Gretchen Billings donated their business and personal papers to Special
Collections in the fall of 1982. A separate donation of papers in 1984, originally
accessioned as collection 2123, was combined with this collection during processing.

Historical Note: Harry L. Billings was born in Somers, Montana, in 1913 where his father worked in
the lumber mill. His mother was a homesteader and early day schoolteacher in the Hot
Springs area where he was raised. He was a graduate of Thompson Falls High School
and earned a degree in journalism from the University of Montana in 1933. His wife,
Gretchen Garber Billings was a native of Whitefish whose grandparents homesteaded
in the Plains area in the mid 1880s. The Billings jointly edited the farmer-labor
owned newspaper The People's Voice in Helena from 1946 to 1969, resigning after a lengthy dispute with organized labor
over support of the Vietnam War. Billings opposed American involvement in Korea and
Vietnam. During the sales tax fight of 1971, Harry coordinated the successful opposition
to enactment of the proposed tax, and then spent two and one half years as Director
of Education and Research for the Montana State AFL-CIO. He was also a member of the
Montanan Bicentennial advisory council in the mid 1970s and in 1983 was awarded the
University of Montana's distinguished alumni award. The Billings retired first to
their home in Thompson Falls and then moved full-time to Apache Junction, Arizona,
when Harry began suffering respiratory problems. He died on April 23, 1990.

Content Description Note: The Billings papers contains correspondence, speeches, research notes, and printed
publications pertaining to the Republican far right, especially the John Birch Society
in Montana during the 1960s. These papers are the resource material that explain the
positions taken by The People's Voice and also document the tie between the Billings and the Montana AFL-CIO. Since the
Billings were involved in many political issues, they corresponded with many high
ranking government officials, including John F. Kennedy, who wrote to the Billings
after a trip to Montana in 1959, and Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey, and Jeannette
Rankin, a personal friend of the Billings. They also worked closely with several Montana
governors and senators. Included in the papers are letters written by Mike Mansfield,
Lee Metcalf, John Melcher, James E. Murray, and Burton K. Wheeler as well as governors
Sam C. Ford, John W. Bonner, Tom Judge, and Ted Schwinden. Billings also collected
the papers of Colonel Jerome G. Locke who was appointed General Surveyor of Montana
by President Taft. Included in the Billings papers is Locke's certificate of his appointed
signed by Taft. The Billings papers have been topically divided into series.

Through their work with The People's Voice and the labor movement, the Billings corresponded with many people across the state.
This series contains correspondence with labor leaders and people voicing their support
or disagreement over various political issues. The bulk of the letters were written
when the Billings were editors of The People's Voice. Most of letters are connected with the paper, but a few are personal letters to
Harry and Gretchen. The Billings were also ardent spokespersons for labor and the
Democratic party and were often asked to speak at various functions. This series also
contains speeches and radio broadcasts the Billings made in conjunction with their
position with the paper. The bulk of the letters in Series 1 is general and some personal
correspondence. The only specific topics contained in this series are the Grain Terminal
Association, the Hillman Award, and the Billings's retirement from The People's Voice. Correspondence relating to specific topics such as the labor movement, the AFL-CIO,
and the right wing are found in Series 2-6.

Box 1

1. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, 1946-1948

2. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, 1950-1953

3. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, 1954-1955

4. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, February to April 1956

5. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, May to December 1956

6. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, January to March 1957

7. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, April to May 1957

8. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, June to December 1957

9. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, January to April 1958

10. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, May to August 1958

11. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, September to December 1958

12. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, January to May 1959

13. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, June to July 1959

14. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, August to December 1959

15. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, January to February 1960

16. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, March to April 1960

17. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, May to August 1960

18. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, September 1960

19. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, October 1960

20. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, November to December 1960

21. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, January to March 1961

22. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, April to July 1961

23. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, August to October 1961

24. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, November to December 1961

25. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, January to May 1962

26. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, June to July 1962

27. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, August to December 1962

28. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, January to July 1963

29. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, August to September 1963

30. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, October to December 1963

31. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, January to April 1964

32. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, May 1964

33. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, June to July 1964

34. Harry L. and Gretchen Billings Correspondence, September to December 1964

Series 2: Labor Movement, 1944-1979

One area of specific interest to the Billings was the labor movement in Montana. Both
Harry and Gretchen were involved in the farmer-labor institute, appearing at various
conferences and meetings. This series contains mainly clippings dealing with the labor
movement in Montana. It also contains correspondence with various labor leaders and
programs from the Farmer-Labor Institute conferences during the 1950s, 1960s, and
1970s. (The last conference was held in 1972)

Box 4

1. American Labor History Pamphlets, Samuel Gompers

2. American Labor History Pamphlets, History of the Department of Labor

Series 3: Montana AFL-CIO, 1956-1984

After retiring from The People's Voice, Harry and Gretchen remained vocal about labor issues in Montana. During the 1970s,
Harry became the Director of Education and Research of the Montana State AFL-CIO.
This series contains correspondence with AFL-CIO leaders, especially James Murray,
AFL-CIO publications, including the COPE pamphlets from 1979 to 1982, statements made
by Harry and other AFL-CIO leaders at various hearings, information about the internal
fight within AFL-CIO in 1978, and clippings about various topics pertaining to the
AFL-CIO. Box 7 in this series contains the Montana State AFL-CIO Year Books from 1957-1983
(broken run).

Series 4: General Subject Files, 1940-1981

The Billings were interested in a wide range of topics and issues. As editors of The People's Voice and during their retirement, they kept clippings, articles, and publications on various
subjects, mainly dealing with labor and the right wing movement. This series contains
subject headings arranged in alphabetical order of the various clippings and research
Harry and Gretchen collected on topics such as the Democratic party, environmental
concerns, gambling, land use, the legislature, Paradise Dam, poverty, taxation, and
Young Americans for Freedom. Two main topics in this series are the Montana bicentennial
and the fight against the proposed sales tax in 1971. As one of the main leaders in
the opposition to the sales tax, Harry corresponded with many people across the state
in order to defeat the tax. This series contains that correspondence and other materials
used in the fight against the sales tax.

Box 8

1. ACM Strike, 1967-1968

2. America's Future Background Information and Articles

3. America's Future Textbook Evaluation

4. Bicentennial Commission Correspondence, 1973

5. Bicentennial Commission Correspondence, 1974

6. Bicentennial Commission Correspondence, 1975

7. Bicentennial Commission Correspondence, 1976

8. Bicentennial Commission Project Descriptions

9. Bicentennial Commission Final Report to the Governor, October 16, 1975

Series 5: Individuals, 1947-1984

Like the subject headings, the Billings gathered information on several individuals
in Montana. This series contains correspondence and clippings about major personalities
in Montana. Billings also collected the papers of Colonel Jerome G. Locke which includes
his correspondence. Of special interest in this series are letters written by national
government officials such as John F. Kennedy, Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey, and
Jeannette Rankin. Letters written by Montana leaders such as Mike Mansfield, Lee Metcalf,
John Melcher, Burton K. Wheeler, and James E. Murray as well as from several Montana
governors are also included in this series.

Box 12 (cont.)

15. Governor Tim Babcock Young Americans for Freedom and United States Day in Montana,
1963-1965

Series 6: The Right Wing, 1948-1968

Of particular interest to the Billings and a large portion of their research dealt
with the Right Wing, especially the John Birch Society. This series contains correspondence
about the right wing and research material about their activities. All of Box 15 contains
clippings about the radical right.

Series 7: Group Research, Incorporated, 1961-1967

This series contains the directory compiled by Group Research, Incorporated. The directory
was designed to provide journalists, organization leaders, public officials, and others
with reference information on radical groups and individuals. It is divided into four
sections: Organizations, Individuals, Publications, and Special Reports.

Box 16

1. Group Research Directory Information, Organizations List

2. Group Research Organizations, A to American Good Government

3. Group Research Organizations, American Opinion to Association

4. Group Research Organizations, B to Commission

5. Group Research Organizations, Committee to D

6. Group Research Organizations, F

7. Group Research Organizations, H-I

8. Group Research Organizations, John Birch Society

9. Group Research Organizations, John Birch Society Clippings, 1961-1965

Series 8: Photographs and Audio Recordings, 1948-1974

This series contains photographs and audio recording collected by the Billings. The
bulk of the photographs were printed in The People's Voice, but the people and events are unidentified here. Most of the audio recordings are
speeches Harry and Gretchen made in conjunction with The People's Voice and speeches made by Henry A. Wallace during his presidential candidacy in 1948.

Box 18

1. Photographs, #1-10

#1-2 unidentified charter presentation

#3-4 unidentified conference

#5-10 unidentified people

2. Photographs, #11-20

#11-17 unidentified people

#18-20 Gretchen Billings

3. Photographs, #21-29

#21 Gordon Twedt and Gretchen Billings

#22 James Umber, Joyce Hrovda, Joe Crosswhite in front of Montana AFL-CIO building

This folder contains information from series 5, certificates of Jerome G. Locke, including
his appointed certificated signed by President Taft. It also contains a map out of
series 4 of the Columbia River Basin.